If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Re: Newb neeeds your advice

I'd suggest starting with something in the 150mm to 160mm (normal lens) for the full length shots and adding a slightly longer lens, 210mm to 240mm or even a 300mm, fairly quickly for the head and sholders shots. Most folks don't find that they need as long a lens (compared to the normal lens) for good modeling on portraits with 4x5 cameras as they would use on smaller formats. For example, with 35mm cameras a lens of 100mm, twice the length of the normal 50mm, is consdered a good portrait length, but with 4z5's a lens of only about 1/3 longer than normal seems to do fine.

Re: Newb neeeds your advice

How large are you printing your portraits and whom are your clients?
If you only print as large as 8x10s I'd doubt that there would be much to be gained by moving up from mf other than that it would sure be a lot more fun (or if you are after a unique "look".)

I steal time at 1/125th of a second, so I don't consider my photography to be Fine Art as much as it is petty larceny.

"You might not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." - Trotsky

Re: Newb neeeds your advice

To me a "modern lens" is anything multi-coated, meaning that it could date from the mid 70's on. Many on this forum might tell you, particularly in the controlled lighting conditions of a studio, that you don't need a multi-coated lens and others will strongly argue for the joys of a soft uncoated portrait lens from the 19th century. However, you don't yet seem to be influenced by that argument.

For max sharpness and minimum depth of field, you might look for a Zeiss Planar (ouch, very large amounts of money required), a Schneider Xenotar or to save a little more money, one of the Komura 152mm/3.5 copies of the Planar. For a fair price you might find a fast (f/3.5) Schneider Xenar, but I don't think that they were ever made coated. Finally, a Kodak Aero Ektar, might give you your desired look but you will probably have to rig a Packard shutter (find one with a sync) to use one of those.

Good luck

Whoops - I just read elsewhere (photo.net/large-format-photography-forum/009mU2) that the Aero Ektar has limited sharpness at portrait distances.

Last edited by aduncanson; 18-Sep-2008 at 15:23.
Reason: Added information about AeroEktar performance at portrait distances.